Mr Potter's Sixth Year
by Meemz
Summary: Harry's Sixth Year is full of twisted enemies, loyal friends, new people and places, a lot of studying, new feelings, and the beginning of the Second War. Eventual pairings include ReT, RHr, and HG
1. Ch 1 Privet Drive

**Chapter One**

Privet Drive

It was nearly dawn. The sky was beginning to lighten, the pre-dawn haze crept up the street to Number 4 Privet Drive. A solitary owl descended through an open window in the second floor. Within was a room messy with books, robes, parchment and quills that had been thrown haphazardly over the floor and bed. The house was quiet: the only noises were the snores drifting down the hallway from the master bedroom.

The boy on the bed was not sleeping as the other inhabitants of Number 4 were. He sat, huddled near the headboard of his bed shaking, drenched in a cold sweat. Harry had been sitting like this for almost an hour now, ever since he'd awoken from another nightmare.

Harry was an unusual boy. He was a wizard, but though that may seem abnormal to his aunt and uncle, it was one of the most ordinary things about him. He was different even amongst the magical world. _Yeah,_ he thought _how many other wizards can say they've had their family murdered by Voldemort? That they've faced him themselves five times and barely survived him? Who else can say they were raised by their Aunt and Uncle who locked him in a cupboard? That they're surprised they're still alive? Who else can say they've seen people die-_

His thoughts abruptly broke off as he was reminded of his nightmare. His nightmares these days were full of veils and heavy lidded eyes that taunted him. The one he'd had tonight...

_Harry was running across the grass with a shaggy black dog, matching his loping gait stride for stride. They were running to a forest- black and shadowy with the unknown. When they reached it the black dog leaped forward and into the wilderness, but Harry was pulled up short. He could not follow. "SIRIUS!" he bellowed after the dog, but all that stared back at him was the darkness. A veil of darkness clouded his vision beyond the first few trees. Then he heard the laughing. The woman laughed harder when Harry tried to take another step towards the forest but was frozen to where he stood. Harry turned to her and saw the heavy lidded eyes taunting him. "Did you loooooove him baby Potter?"_

Hedwig broke him out of his reverie when she hooted a greeting to the visiting owl. Harry wiped his sleeve across his face and looked up at the barn owl that had just flown through the window, a newspaper clutched in its talons. Harry stared a moment longer before dragging himself to his trunk to retrieve the payment for the delivery. The barn owl hooted his thanks and flew back out the window into the dawn.

Harry sat back down on the bed with his paper and sighed, slowly unrolling the parchment. He didn't know what to expect from the papers these days- Voldemort and his Death Eaters had been pretty quiet since the attack at the Department of Mysteries. It seemed as if they'd vanished, but Harry knew better. _He's probably sitting back enjoying the panic that's come around now that Fudge finally admitted Voldemort's back._

As though transferring his thought into an article, the now unrolled issue of the _Daily Prophet_ had a large picture of Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, displayed on the front page. Harry read the caption under the picture

_Minister Finally Believes_

"That's strange," he said aloud. "Fudge doesn't usually let the _Prophet_ write articles that don't support him." Then he noticed the author of the article, Rita Skeeter. "Ah," he said, "that makes sense. Hermione's probably only let her write the truth, even if she is allowed to write again." Rita Skeeter was an unregistered animagus, and Hermione had found out about it in their fourth year at Hogwarts. The information had proved useful, first getting rid of the worst of the articles about Harry, then getting someone to write a story about the truth no one had wanted to believe. It seemed as though Hermione was letting Skeeter write for the prophet again, even though she didn't seem to be giving up all hold. Harry's eyes scanned Skeeter's article. _Refused to believe the truth about You-Know-Who... endangered the wizarding world... unfit minister... let the dementors get away... _the article went on. Harry threw aside the paper. He already knew Fudge was a moron, he didn't need to read about it again. He'd only been at Privet drive two weeks and there had already been three articles about how the Minister should have listened to Professor Dumbledore.

_Dumbledore_ Harry thought. He felt guilty for how he'd yelled at the Headmaster after the events at the Department of Mysteries. It wasn't as if Dumbledore had deserved it, he'd just been telling him the truth. _He could have told me sooner_, part of his mind argued back. But should he have? Harry didn't know if he'd been ready for that kind of knowledge before now... well he didn't even know if he was ready for it now. _Neither can live while the other survives..._ The Prophesy flashed through his thoughts. Harry knew he wasn't ready for that. He wasn't even sixteen yet. How was he supposed to defeat the most powerful Dark wizard of all time? The Prophesy seemed to suggest that not even Dumbledore could do it, so how was he to be expected to?

Harry's gaze drifted to the letters on his desk, letters from his best friends. He walked over to the desk and picked them up, glancing briefly over the pamphlet they were laying on. _Guide to Elementary Home and Personal Defense. _The ministry had sent it to him a few days after his return home from Hogwarts. It entailed ways to magically protect yourself and your home, none of which he could do as he wasn't permitted to use magic during the holidays. His attention shifted back to the letters from Ron and Hermione. He read them over again, taking a little comfort in the companionship they brought.

_Hi Harry,_

_How're the Muggles treating you? Hopefully good. If not, write me and Hermione and we'll get Fred and George to go pull their entire joke shop on them. Hmmm... maybe we should just do that anyway. Ah well, Hermione prolly won't let me. Too bad mate. I've asked my mum and some other order members if we're going to be able to get you out of there, but I think they're waiting for something first. Dumbledore mentioned leaving enough time for the protection to take effect? Dunno what that means. It probably shouldn't be too much longer, I've asked at least twice a day, and they should let you come soon if just to make me shut up. We're all at you know where right now cause Dumbledore thought it would be safer for us during the holidays. It's right crowded here though. Dumbledore seems to have recruited every wizard he ever met, and at least half of them are staying here when they aren't gone on business. I have to share a room with Bill and Charlie. But mom's calling me down to lunch now (she probably just wants me to help her paint the attic). Don't let the Muggles bully you. _

_Ron_

Just like Ron, Harry thought. Stepping around his real reason for writing. Hermione had been much more direct.

_Harry, I know you must be really really upset, what with everything that happened at the Department of Mysteries, but you mustn't let it get you down. That's just what Voldemort would want, it'd be another way to help him do his horrible things. And I don't think that Sirius would have wanted you to be sad. I know I didn't know him as well, but I think he'd want you to move on. I think they might let you come to stay here soon. Ron and I agree that you'll probably feel better if you're here and not with your Aunt and Uncle. Do try to stay out of trouble though. Don't let Sirius' death make you reckless. _

_Hope to see you soon_

_Take care,_

_Hermione_

Harry considered what she had said about Sirius. He didn't understand how he was supposed to move on when he relived his death every night in his dreams.

As Harry had been reading, the sun had slowly risen above the horizon, and Privet Drive was now starting to wake up. Harry could hear his Aunt and Uncle beginning to move around, and Dudley's snores had grown a little softer leading to his usual noon wake up time. Harry got up to make himself a quick breakfast before his relatives decided to deny him any food that had a flavor. He strode down the stairs, jumping the last, squeaky, stair and went into the kitchen. He walked over to the refrigerator and had just grabbed the orange juice to pour himself a glass when his uncle came stomping down the stairs.

"Boy!" He barked. Harry turned calmly to look at his uncle. "Since you're eating yourself you might as well make breakfast for all of us." Harry continued looking at his uncle for a moment and then shrugged. He set the orange juice down and reached in for the egg carton to start making breakfast.

The summer had been going, more or less, like this for the past two weeks. His aunt and uncle were still nervous of the warning Mad-Eye and Lupin had delivered at the train station at the end of term. They'd been more civil in their requests of Harry, even if he did still have to do all of the chores around the house. He'd make their breakfast every morning, and then he'd be sent out to work out in the yard or clean some part of the house or his uncle's car all before Dudley woke up. He usually had the afternoons and evenings free, as long as he didn't linger around one place for too long.

His uncle came stomping back into the kitchen with the newspaper a few minutes later as Harry was putting some bacon on to fry. He sat down at the kitchen table and unfurled the newspaper, reading it as he waited for Harry to make breakfast. After a couple more minutes his aunt, Petunia, came into the kitchen, saying good morning to Vernon just as Harry finished with the bacon and eggs. Harry brought these over to the table and sat down with them to eat his breakfast quickly.

"Where's Dudley?" Vernon grunted, looking around.

"Oh, he's still sleeping." Petunia replied. "He was out late watching a movie with his little friends." Harry had to suppress his laughter that his aunt, the most nosey person in the neighborhood, didn't know a thing about how Dudley really spent his time. Sure, she could tell you the exact time Mr. and Mrs. Across the Street had come home from church, but she refused to see the truth about her son, the neighborhood bully. Harry knew Dudley had been out smoking and drinking with his friends the night before, just like he usually was.

Harry stood, having finished his breakfast, automatically rinsing his plate and putting it in the dishwasher.

"If you're done, the garden needs to be weeded, and the lawn needs to be mowed again Harry," his aunt said timidly. Harry nodded. He didn't mind the work; it gave him something to do. Something to take his mind off Sirius and everything else that had happened last year. He walked out into the backyard and got a bucket to put the weeds in.


	2. Ch 2 The Attack

Chapter Two

The Attack

A few hours later, Harry had finished with the yard work and was painting the fence in the front yard. The sky was filled with clouds that looked unseasonably full of rain. It was a couple hours after noon, but it was dark enough to be almost seven. Dudley was leaving the house, accompanied by his gang.

"Bye Mrs. Dursley!" Piers called back through the door.

"Yeah! Thanks for the lemonade!" One of the other boys sniggered.

"It was nothing boys. Have a good time at the fair!" Petunia waved and went back into the house.

"So, where to today Big D? We could go hunt down Evans, I still think we let him off too easy last week." A few of the other boys nodded or grunted their assent. Harry stood up from where he'd been painting a lower post of the fence.

"Off to beat up more twelve year olds Big D?" Dudley turned white when he saw Harry. "Or have you and your flunkies graduated to kids only three years younger then you now?" Harry took great pleasure in seeing how afraid of him Dudley was. A few of the boys in his gang looked a little nervous too. All their mothers warned them about the freak who attended St. Brutus' Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys. That was Harry's aunt and uncle's made up story to cover for Harry's time spent at Hogwarts.

"Shut it, Potter." One of the boys retorted. A few nodded.

"Or what?" Harry continued.

"Or we'll beat you till you cry for your mommy." The gang all laughed. Dudley was looking green. Harry felt himself reaching for his wand when Hermione's letter came back to him. _Don't let Sirius' death make you reckless..._ Well, he sure felt a little reckless right now, picking a fight with a group of Muggles. Harry felt his energy building up, and he knew if he didn't do something soon he'd be getting a letter from the Ministry for cursing a bunch of Muggles into oblivion.

Harry turned around and walked away. His feet pounded into the pavement along Privet Drive. He needed to get rid of this pent up energy. He turned the corner at the end and continued striding down the connecting street. He didn't know how long he'd been walking when he abruptly came to a halt at the end of an alley way... Magnolia Crescent. This was where he'd first seen Sirius...

Harry ran. He ran to the end of the street. The clouds that had been threatening rain all day started to let the water go, and a light sprinkle of raindrops fell to the ground. Harry ran faster, through the gate into the park and around the swings where he'd sat last summer. The rain was picking up its pace now, coming down in great fat drops that blurred Harry's vision as he ran into a large clump of trees. There was a pain in Harry's chest from running so far, but he didn't stop. He kept running, trying to leave it all behind. He ran from the pain and the guilt and the fear. The rain was pouring now, and a thunderclap crashed overhead, but it didn't make Harry stop running. He ran harder, trying to get away. His mind was a jumble of pain and sorrow. Then, suddenly, he wasn't running through the park anymore. Suddenly his mind was back at Privet Drive. His scar burst with pain as he saw the foolish Muggles running around trying to get away from the fires that now exploded through the houses.

Harry was suddenly brought back where he was when he tripped and went flying into the muddy path in front of him. He lay there fore a minute panicking about what he'd seen. He knew that he'd seen Privet Drive being attacked by Death Eaters, but he didn't know whether he could trust his vision. The last vision he'd chased after had lost him Sirius, and he just didn't know anymore. But as his scar seared with more pain, he knew he had to do something, and do it fast. He called for help.

"Professor Lupin! Mr. Weasley!" He started yelling for people in the Order. He knew someone had to be there watching him, he was never left unguarded. "Someone! Come quick! You have to come! There are Death Eaters in Privet Drive!" Harry was starting to seriously panic when he heard someone behind him. He turned and saw Kingsley Shacklebolt pulling off an invisibility cloak.

"Harry!" He called. "Quick, come with me! We have to get you somewhere safe where the Death Eaters can't find you. I've already sent Mundungus to alert the Order." Harry followed him down a side alley to a connecting street. "We've been watching you in pairs... Dumbledore's orders..." he panted as they ran. "We saw you fall... heard the screaming..." They were on Wisteria Walk, and Harry could see the fires at Privet Drive for real now. "I sent Mundungus to alert the Order... I have to get you to safety before they find out that you weren't there..." Harry saw Mrs. Figg's house in the distance and Kingsley nodded. "Her house will be safe enough for now. I'll leave you there with her and help the rest of the Order deal with the Death Eaters." They ran up to the house and Shacklebolt pounded on the door. A moment later Mrs. Figg, still in her slippers, open the door and pulled them both inside.

"Quick, quick, don't let anyone see the boy!" She said urgently. Mrs. Figg, Harry had found out last summer, was a Squibb, and part of the Order. "The Order is already there Kingsley," she said. "You can go just as soon as they send someone to take care of Harry. Heavens knows I'm no use in protecting him." She looked around nervously as they waited for someone to arrive. They'd been waiting for a few minutes when there was a pounding on her door. "Go into the kitchen Harry, we don't want anyone to see you're here. We have to hide you from them." As Harry moved into the kitchen he heard her opening the door. There was a faint murmuring and then the door closed again. Harry heard footsteps coming from the entryway to where he was. He looked up as Remus Lupin walked into the kitchen looking more worn then he'd ever looked in the past. Harry stood and Lupin embraced him for a moment before they both sat down at the table. Mrs. Figg came in after a minute and walked over to the teapot on the stove, pouring out three mugs of tea.

"All we can really do right now is wait for the Order to sort it out, Harry." Lupin said, answering Harry's unanswered question. "If the Order is unable to take care of the Death Eaters, I'm here to give Mrs. Figg enough time to get you to safety." Mrs. Figg nodded.

"I've put Mr. Tibbles on guard. If any Death Eaters approach the house, we'll know a few minutes before they get in. Dumbledore's put some protections on the house that will give us a bit of time." Harry was alarmed at the way they were talking. Surely the Order would be able to take care of the Death Eaters in Privet Drive? There hadn't seemed to be too many in his vision.

"It won't come to that will it Professor Lupin?" He asked. The Order was strong enough to beat back six or seven Death Eaters. Lupin considered the question for a moment before answering.

"Probably not. There were four Death Eaters still standing when I came here, and there are at least six Order Members out there right now. I think it should be fine, unless Voldemort has something else up his sleeve we don't know about." Mrs. Figg picked up the stirring spoon she'd dropped at mention of Voldemort's name and put it in the sink. She grabbed the three mugs, and sat with them at the table, putting one up in front of Harry and one in front of Lupin. The now-empty teapot was sitting on the stove.

"I find that tea usually helps me stay calm during times like these." She said by way of explanation. "I spend a lot of time sitting in the kitchen with a cup of tea while the battles are going on." She continued. Lupin nodded, looking out the window at one of the houses that was on fire a few blocks away. They sat in silence, sometimes looking out the window, sometimes picking up their glasses to drink their tea. Harry lost track of how long they'd been waiting when there was another pounding on the door.

The three of them got up to answer it, hoping it meant the battle was over. Mrs. Figg went to open the door as Lupin and Harry stood back, Lupin stepping in front of Harry as Mrs. Figg neared the door. She had nearly reached the door handle when a woman's voice cried on the other side _"INCENDIO!" _Harry watched in horror as the door exploded inwards and Mrs. Figg flew across the entryway. She landed in a heap, obviously unconscious, lying still at the foot of the stairs.

Lupin moved to protect Harry, and Harry drew his wand as well. The woman who'd caused the door to explode looked up at them from under heavily lidded eyes. Bellatrix Lestrange. It was the woman who'd killed Sirius.

"Aww it's the baby Potter and the werewolf." She taunted stepping into the doorway. Lupin took a step towards her, wand clenched in his hand. Bellatrix laughed. "You don't have to do that, werewolf. The Dark Lord doesn't want you, he wants the boy." She turned to gaze at Harry. As soon as her eyes were looking away, Lupin took his chance and threw a stunning spell at her. It almost made it, but she threw together a hasty block at the last second. "So... the werewolf wants to play. When's the next full moon hmm? Got your strength up?" She stepped forward cautiously. Lupin didn't say anything; he stood waiting for a moment to get in a curse on the woman who'd killed his best friend. Harry didn't know who'd started it when the spells started flying through the air. Bellatrix was suddenly shooting out waves of purple flame, and Lupin was countering with walls of blue light. They went back and forth, neither gaining an advantage. Bellatrix was moving now, towards the stairs where Lupin was descending towards her as well. They each had their eyes fixed on the other, leading Harry to believe there was a mental battle going on as well that he could not see. But he could feel the magic from their duel in the air. The whole room was tingling with the static of the magic they were shooting at each other. Lupin had stopped moving when he reached the landing halfway down the stairs. Bellatrix kept walking towards the stairs as though to come up and scratch Lupin with her bare hands. She wasn't watching, however, when she stepped and stumbled over some of the fragments of the door she'd blown into the house. Lupin took the momentary hesitation her fumble caused and sent a bolt of white energy towards her. She turned her head to avoid the streak of light, but she was a fraction of a second too late as the energy sliced a cut deep in her cheekbone. She was thrown sideways from the force of the blow, and Lupin took the chance to send another stunning spell towards her. She saw this coming as well, and a moment before it reached her, she Disapparated and was gone.

Lupin stood, breathing heavily on the landing for a moment before going down the stairs to where Mrs. Figg still lay slammed against the wall opposite the hole that was the front door. He checked her pulse, and muttered a soft charm which caused the worst of her bleeding to cease. He'd raised her onto a stretcher when five figures came running through the hole in the wall. It was the Order.

"Oh my goodness, Bella!" Tonks cried, as she saw Mrs. Figg on the stretcher.

"Is Potter safe?" Kingsley Shacklebolt asked as the Order all settled into the entryway.

"I'm here." Harry said from where he stood at the top of the stairs. The Order all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. We've finished with the Death Eaters, Remus." Mr. Weasley reported. "We managed to capture one, but the others all Disapparated away when they saw they were outnumbered. One of Arabella's cats has been stunned out front. What on Earth happened here?" He asked, looking around at the disorder the entryway was in.

"Bellatrix Lestrange came looking for Harry here. She must have stunned the cat, he was supposed to warn us if a Death Eater was approaching the house. She knocked on the door, Arabella went to answer when Lestrange exploded it in on her. She Disapparated as well." He said this last part bitterly. Harry understood. It would have been nice to have destroyed Bellatrix Lestrange. She'd taken Sirius away from both of them. She deserved it. Tonks walked up the stairs to Harry.

"I'll take Figgy to Mungo's." Mundungus volunteered. He levitated her stretcher over to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of Floo Powder from the mantle. Tonks led Harry back into the kitchen as the flames turned green and Mundungus yelled "St. Mungos Hospital!"

The other Order members followed Tonks and Harry into the kitchen. Harry looked at the members of the Order. In addition to Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Mr. Weasley, was Mad-Eye Moody.

"What happened?" Harry finally asked.

"The Death Eaters somehow found out where your relatives' house was, even with all the special charms and protections on it." Tonks said. "They showed up while you were out running and came looking for you. They couldn't go into the house to get you, because of the protections in it, so they started blowing up the neighboring houses hoping that it'd draw you out of hiding." She paused here, looking to the others to verify her story. They nodded. "I'm guessing that's when you had your vision?" Harry nodded.

"Yeah, I saw the Death Eaters blowing up the houses and the Muggles running away." Harry said. "But if I saw it, doesn't that mean Voldemort was there?" He asked. Mad-Eye answered.

"Voldemort wasn't actually there, but he was watching. That's how you saw I'm guessing." Mad-Eye's eye was darting around constantly, checking through the walls and around the house to make sure they were alone and safe. Just then, Bill Weasley stuck his head into the kitchen.

"Charlie and I have got all the Muggles herded into the living room. Anyone wanna come practice their memory charms?" Bill laughed a little, cheering the atmosphere of the post-battle Order Members. Kingsley Shacklebolt followed him out of the kitchen. Mr. Weasley turned to Harry.

"I'm glad you're alright, Harry. You understand why we're going to need to remove you from your aunt and uncle's house, don't you?" Harry nodded. "Good. Go with Remus and he'll take you to a safe place." He paused for a moment before adding, "Alastor, perhaps you and Tonks had better accompany them. For... added protection. Just in case." Mad-Eye nodded.

Lupin looked around the room until his eyes settled on the teapot still on the stove. He walked over to it and picked it up. He tapped it with his wand and it glowed blue for a moment before going back to normal. Mad-Eye turned to Harry. He clapped Harry on the shoulder and said, "Time to go, Potter. We'll get you outta this unprotected Muggle place and somewhere better."


	3. Ch 3 Potter House

Chapter Three

The Potter House

"Here, Harry, grab hold of this." Lupin said, holding out the teapot. Harry knew it was a Portkey. He took hold of it, and was joined by Tonks, and Mad-Eye.

"The rest of us will stay and clean up, Lupin." Arthur said. "I'll have Dumbledore join you in a little while." He started walking out of the kitchen to Mrs. Figg's living room to where the other Order members were already Obliviating all the Muggles who had seen the fight. "I'll leave a message at Headquarters so the others know Harry's location," he added. Harry looked up at Lupin,

"We aren't going to Headquarters?" He asked. This didn't make any sense to Harry. _Where else can they be taking me? _He thought._ Maybe the Burrow? Yeah, that's probably it. Keep me away from the Order so I can't nose around. Figures._ He thought bitterly.

"No, we're going somewhere... else..." Lupin trailed off, looking away from Harry and out the window.

"Five seconds." Moody barked. Before Harry could think about Lupin's strange evasiveness he felt the uncomfortable tug behind his navel meaning the Portkey had activated. He was bumping into Tonks on his left and Lupin on his right and then suddenly he was jolted to a stop. He fell to the ground and heard the teapot smash. When Harry looked up, he saw he was not at the Burrow as he had thought he would be. He was not, in fact, anywhere he even recognized.

"Let's keep moving." Moody said. "We're not protected out here; they could find us any minute."

"Let him get his feet under himself Mad-Eye." Tonks said gently. Harry stood up slowly and looked to Lupin for direction. He was glad they hadn't taken him to... Sirius' house, though it would have been nice to be around the Order, know what was going on. But he didn't think he'd be able to be in a place that reminded him so much of Sirius just yet. He didn't think he was ready for that.

"It's just a bit farther, Harry. We couldn't Portkey directly there, not with the Ministry monitoring the network so avidly. Dumbledore doesn't want _anyone_ to know where this place is just yet," he concluded while helping Tonks to her feet.

"Where are we?" Harry asked as he followed them down the small path they were now walking. As far as he could tell, they were in the middle of a small forest, walking along a path wide enough for perhaps a small car to drive down. There was thick brush under the trees, and he couldn't see very far ahead in the night's darkness.

"It's... a safe place. That's all you need to know right now." Lupin replied as they rounded a corner. Harry saw, faintly in the distance, an outline of a house. As they approached a tall stone wall rose above them keeping much of the house hidden from Harry's sight. Lupin walked up to the gate. Above him, two identical stone griffons gazed down at him. Much to Harry's surprise the griffons spoke to them.

"Who approaches?" One asked looking at Lupin.

"It's... Moony," he replied. Harry looked at Lupin sharply... _Moony? Why would he tell it his Marauder name?_ He wondered.

"Moony..." the other griffon replied, "it has been a long time since you visited. Welcome. But who are these three who accompany you?" Its gaze shifted from Tonks to Mad-Eye finally resting on Harry.

"Yes..." continued the first griffon, "who are your companions? Are they true of heart?" They were both staring at Harry now.

"The lady is Nymphadora Tonks, an Auror of the Ministry of Magic and trusted member to the Phoenix." Harry was again surprised... _He's telling them about the Order?_ Lupin was still talking. "The man behind her is Alastor Moody, also trusted friend of the Phoenix."

"The Eye." The first griffon said.

"Yes," continued the second, "we have met The Eye before." They were both still staring at Harry. He shifted slightly from one foot to the next, wishing they would look at something else then him. "But the boy who looks to you? We have not met him. Is he of noble heart?"

The question struck a kind of chord within Harry. He found himself stepping forward, in front of Lupin, up to the gate. He looked up at the griffons on either side and found himself speaking to them.

"I'm Harry Potter. My parents were Lily and James Potter." Once he had said this, something clicked into place and the gate opened.

"Welcome Master Potter. We are joyous upon your arrival. You and your companions are very welcome indeed."

"Moony, we are pleased to see you have returned. We are delighted that you have brought such admirable people with you. Please, come in." The two griffons turned their gazes back outwards to the pathway and froze back into their stone. Harry followed Lupin into the yard. When all four of them were within the walls, the gate closed behind them. Harry looked up at the house he now stood in front of.

It was large, but not overwhelmingly so. Inside the yard where they now stood were several fountains that were not running. The yard was overgrown, but there were several nice trees and flowers intermixed with the weeds. Lupin led them up a cracked stone walkway to the front door. It was a large door with a lion head knocker on it. Lupin reached up a hand and knocked three times.

The lion's eyes opened.

"Who knocks?" It asked.

"It's Moony. I have three with me, Nymphadora Tonks, Alastor Moody, and Harry Potter. All come as allies to the Phoenix." _Maybe it's some sort of secret password?_ Harry thought. _A password to some secret hideout for the Order?_ But the lion was speaking again.

"Welcome Mr. Moony. You and your companions are welcome." The door opened.

Inside the door was an entryway that may have been, at one time, quite grand. It had smooth marble flooring, and a large chandelier hung from the high ceiling. The room, however, was greatly covered in cobwebs and dust. None of the candles were lit, and the room was greatly filled with darkness and gloom. Harry again wondered where they were as Tonks closed the door behind them.

"Well, Harry, welcome home." Lupin said sadly as he turned to look at him. Harry stared at him for a moment before realizing what Lupin had said.

"H-home?" He asked. "What do you mean? Is this place mine?" Harry was becoming more confused every moment.

Lupin sighed. "This house belongs to your family. It most recently belonged to your grandparents, your father's parents. No one has lived here for quite a few years though." He looked around at the dusty picture frames and the spider webs hanging from the candle holders.

"Why don't we light some candles and clean up a place to get some rest," Suggested Tonks. "We can fix up a few rooms while we wait for Dumbledore." Harry nodded dazedly. _This house is my family's. I have a home. My dad lived here when he was my age. My family lived here. _Thoughts were blurring through his mind as he looked around at this place where he father had grown up. There was a grand staircase at the far end of the entryway leading up to a second floor. There were several large doors and archways leading off to corridors to the left and right. A large coat rack stood to the left of the front door, a thick cloak and hat still hanging on it. A small wooden table was to the right of the door, a pair of gloves and a scarf collecting dust. Lupin led them to the right into a sitting room filled with arm chairs and sofas. Tonks waved her wand and the candles on the walls all lit filling the room with a warm glow. Harry looked at Lupin.

"This house was my parent's?" He asked, still dazed at the events of the day and finding himself here so unexpectedly.

"No, your parents didn't live here. Well, your father did when he was growing up, but when he married Lily they got their house in Godric's Hollow. His parents lived here. Your father inherited it when they died. He and Lily would have raised you here, but..." Lupin trailed off. "The Death Eaters killed them shortly before they killed your parents, Harry." He looked very sad, Harry thought to himself. "Lily and James were getting ready to move here, to be moved in for the holidays, but they never got the chance." Harry was feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of this. _Death Eaters on Privet Drive? A house of my family's? My own home?_ His head was reeling. He faintly saw Lupin's look of sorrow before it all went black.


	4. Ch 4 The Kitchen

**Chapter Four  
**The Kitchen

When Harry woke the sun was pouring across his bed. _It must be at least noon._ He thought. _I'm surprised the Dursleys let me sleep this late._ He got out of bed and grabbed his jeans. He might as well go face the punishment he'd be getting for sleeping in this late. His aunt always punished him for sleeping in. Harry had just finished putting on his jeans when he finally took a real look at the room he was in.

He froze. This wasn't his small bedroom at Number 4. His small bedroom didn't have large glass doors leading out to a balcony. His room didn't have a large wardrobe and standing mirror. He wouldn't have been sleeping in a large four poster bed complete with canopy and curtains in his room at Privet Drive. Now Harry remembered. He remembered the fight, the Portkey, and… this house. _His_ house. The door opened and Lupin walked in.

"Ah, good. You're awake. I was just coming to wake you up." Harry nodded. "Why don't you finish getting dressed and come on downstairs. Dumbledore is here and he can answer your questions." Harry nodded again. Lupin turned and shut the door behind him. The sound of the door closing snapped Harry out of his stupor. He grabbed his T-shirt from where it lay on the bed and started moving towards the door. He had pulled one of his arms through when he ran out into the hallway after Lupin.

"Professor Lupin!" He called. "Wait up! I'm ready now." Lupin turned around from where he'd been about to go down the stairs. He smiled when he saw Harry struggling to close his door and get his shirt on at the same time. As Harry caught up with Lupin he mumbled a thanks and they walked downstairs together.

Harry looked around at the house as they walked. After walking down a staircase at the end of the hallway they'd walked down another hall back to thesame grand stairway he'd seen when he'd come in the house._That would make those the front doors_ he thought to himself, trying to learn his way around. Instead of going through to the sitting room where Harry last remembered being, however, Lupin led him around the base of the stairway and through a large door in the back of the entryway.

Harry now found himself in a large kitchen that had a wooden table in the center. Sitting around the table were Tonks, Mad-Eye, and Albus Dumbledore. They all smiled at him. Harry was just about to say hello when a small figure ran into, cutting him off.

"Harry Potter sir!" The figure cried. It hugged him around his knees.

"D-Dobby?" Harry asked. The small house elf looked up at him, tears shining in his eyes.

"Oh, yes sir! It is me,Harry Potter sir!" Dobby smiled at Harry and stepped back into a low bow. "And Winky is here too sir!" Harry followed Dobby's gaze and turned to look behind him. There stood the female house elf, Winky, in her same blue dress as he had seen her at Hogwarts. She was not smiling, but she seemed to have stopped her endless waterworks from the previous year.

"Hello Master Potter." She said softly with a small curtsey.

"Hi Winky." Harry responded, unsure as to why Dumbledore had brought the two house elves. "How are you feeling?" He continued cautiously. Last year this question had resulted in increasing the volumes of her wails to near deafening.

"I am well sir. Dobby helped me clean my dress and I have stopped drinking, sir." Dobby smiled at this, and jumped over to Harry, grabbing his hand.

"Come and eat Harry Potter! We is just serving breakfast to Master Dumbledore and the others!" Harry moved to the table and sat down next to Lupin. Harry dished himself up some bacon and eggs as everyone said their good mornings. Dumbledore turned to Harry.

"Well, Harry, I wanted to come and explain the necessity of moving you here. Obviously you will be unable to stay at your aunt's home now that Voldemort knows the location of it. We were able to modify the memory of all the Muggles who witnessed the fight and Mrs. Figg should be out of St. Mungos tomorrow at the latest." Harry nodded at this. He was glad no one was hurt.

"But, sir, I don't understand how they knew where I was." Harry said. Dumbledore frowned as he chose his words.

"No, Harry, neither do we. Your aunt's home was supposed to be protected from discovery from Voldemort through the protection we discussed at the end of term a few weeks ago. The protection works somewhat similarly as the Fidelius Charm, except there is no secret keeper. The house was supposed to be hidden from him and anyone else trying to find it without being told where it was. As I, and certain other members of the Order, were the only one who knew about the house's location, I can only assume that Voldemort has found some other way to trace you. It could have been possible, I suppose, while you were away from the house. Perhaps out for a walk?" Dumbledore finished uncertainly. Harry didn't like it when Dumbledore was outsmarted, it didn't seem possible at times.

"How long will I be staying here? Will I be moving to the Burrow or… Sirius' house later on?" He felt guilty about not wanting to be at Grimmauld Place, but he didn't know if he could live in a house that reminded him so much of the death he'd caused.

"No, Harry." Dumbledore replied. "You will be staying here until the start of term on September first." He paused. "Your friends may, however, be stopping by. I daresay I won't be able to keep them away all summer." The familiar twinkle was in his eyes now. "And you won't be completely alone here, I've asked Remus and Miss Tonks to stay here with you for some companionship as well as protection." Harry looked up at Lupin and smiled. It would be nice to have Lupin and Tonks around for the rest of the summer. "Dobby and Winky will also be staying." Dumbledore said. Harry looked up at him. _He's giving me two house elves?_ "They have powerful protective magic that may be an additional benefit for the time being. If it is all right with you, I will just perform the necessary procedure for binding you together?" Harry nodded.

Dumbledore stood up and walked around the table to where Harry was. He beckoned to Dobby. The small elf came forward, tears shining in his eyes. Dumbledore touched his wand to Dobby's head, and then to Harry's, connecting them with a line of shimmering green light that glowed briefly and then faded away. He faced Harry.

"Harry Potter, do you promise to accept this elf, and not to abuse his services?" Harry nodded. "Yes." He said. Dumbledore turned to Dobby.

"Dobby, do you vow to serve Harry Potter and anyone in his family, and continue to serve that line even if Harry is no longer living? Do you vow to keep his secrets, and run his home?"

The tears were now streaking down Dobby's face as he bobbed his head and replied "Oh of course Mr. Dumbledore! It is my greatest dream to help Harry Potter!" Dumbledore nodded.

"Very well then, you are now bonded together and will serve each other until either elf or family name has died." Dumbledore then turned to Winky. She was walking forward before he had asked her to come over. He touched his wand to her head, and then linked it with Harry's like he had before. "Harry Potter, will you take this elf as well, and not abuse your power over her? Will you treat her with kindness and respect towards her station?" Harry nodded. Dumbledore turned to Winky.

"Winky, will you serve Harry Potter and his family? Will you keep their secrets, and continue serving that family as long as you live?" Winky lifted her head bravely and looked at Harry. "I will serve you Master Potter. I will serve you as long as I live." She smiled. "I is liking Master Potter. He was always kind to me, even when I was a … bad elf." Dumbledore stepped back.

"Well then, that's that order of business taken care of." He sat back down at the table. Harry was stunned. _I have a house of my own, and two house elves._ He could hardly believe that two days ago he was sitting around Privet Drive waiting, sullenly, for the end of summer. He looked back up as Dumbledore was talking again, this time to Lupin and Tonks. "I think having visitors around would do this place some good." He said looking around. "I'll send Molly by; she'd probably even help with the cleaning. I'm sure she'll bring along some of her children and their friends as well." He added, winking at Harry. "I'm afraid that I don't want any non-Order Members besides certain friends of Harry's coming by this house though. It wouldn't be good to let Voldemort know where to locate this house. It might be hard to find him another residence next time." He stood, and everyone at the table followed suit. "I'm afraid I must be going now though," he said, "… urgent order business you see." Harry thought he saw him eyeing the cobwebs and dust filling all the corners of the room. "Yes, I mustn't stay here too much longer." He winked at Harry again. Harry knew that Dumbledore was just getting around having to clean house. He smiled.

"Don't worry, Professor Dumbledore, we'll be fine cleaning up the house without you." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"Why, Harry. How could you even suggest such a thing?" Everyone around the table laughed. Mad-Eye was also moving towards the door now.

"I'll think I'll go with Dumbledore. Cleaning's not really my strong suit. And I really should get to work on some Order business." With that, everyone said goodbye and Dumbledore and Mad-Eye left.

There was silence for a moment before Lupin cleared his throat. "Well, if we've all finished eating I suppose we should get to work on cleaning up this place." Harry and Tonks groaned. Harry wasn't looking forward to the task of cleaning it up; the house hadn't been lived in for fifteen years – it was filthy.

"Maybe we should have a look around first? See what all is here? I mean, you've been here loads of times before and all, but Harry and I have never seen the place. And I think Harry should at least know the way around his own house!" She suggested, smiling at Harry. He was glad he wasn't the only one who wasn't looking forward to the scrub down of the house. As Tonks was notoriously clumsy, she was also quite unfond of household "everyday" sort of cleaning spells.

"Yeah, Lupin. Show us around!" Harry said, picking up Tonks' lead. Lupin looked at them both and smiled.

"Well I can see I've been overruled. But don't complain to me when you have to live in piles of dust and cobwebs." They all laughed.

"Master Potter sir?" a small voice came from behind Harry. He jumped, and looked around. It was Winky. "Master Potter?" She repeated.

"Oh… erm… you… uh… please just call me Harry." He said awkwardly. He didn't really know how to address the elf.

"If you say so, Master Harry." She said. "Master Harry, I will be needing to go and get some things you will be needing around the house." Harry looked at her confusedly. "Like food, Master Potter." She said. It even looked like she was almost laughing. "Food, and some cleaning things, and some material for clothing and curtains."

"Oh, I get it." Harry said. "Yeah, that's great. I guess there's not much food here after fifteen years?" She shook her head, again almost laughing. "Well, uh, you don't really need to ask my permission to leave to get stuff. I've not had a house elf before, you know, and I don't know how other people go about it, but I'm not going to have too many things you'll need to do." He shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably.

"I is asking you because I will be needing to use your Gringotts account for paying sir. House elves buy their Masters' things, and the store will take the money from your account."

"Oh, that's alright. As long as you don't spend millions of galleons, I should have enough money to cover it." Winky nodded.

"All right, sir, I will go then and get your things. Dobby will stay though, and help you with the cleaning." Dobby nodded excitedly from behind her.

"All right. Let's go exploring!" Tonks exclaimed from the doorway. Lupin smiled and led them out a side door into an adjoining room to begin their exploration of this house of Harry's family.


	5. Ch 5 Looking Around

**Chapter 5**

Looking Around

Harry looked around. They were in a large dining room. The long table in the middle could seat over twenty people. It didn't even fill half the room however. Two large fireplaces were centered in two of the walls. Harry thought the room must have been a grand ballroom with the table removed and the cobwebs cleaned. Tonks whistled.

"Merlin's beard." She trailed softly. Harry looked up and gaped at the ceiling. Under the layers of age he could make out a grand painting of tremendous proportions.

"It was a special request of your great great grandmother. She loved having big parties and wanted to have a ballroom with a ceiling like the Sistine Chapel's. The best artists around, though, were all Muggles. Famous sure, but not magic." He laughed softly. "She had a hard time explaining why she wanted dragons and wizards instead of cherubs and angels." The ceiling was indeed painted with a depiction of many witches and wizards surrounded with magical creatures. There were unicorns and dragons around the edges. In the center was a large red phoenix, its golden plumes shining. It was the largest figure in the painting, fully twice the size of the largest dragon. Lupin started leading towards the archway in the wall on the right, leading into the next room.

As they stepped into the next room, Harry recognized the sitting room he'd first been brought to when they'd arrived last night. With the fireplace and candles lit, and the afternoon sun pouring through the windows, it looked very cheerful. A place he could see a bunch of ladies sitting and chatting in. They kept on walking around into the entryway. It too looked more welcoming with the day's sunlight dancing across the floor and reflecting off the chandelier. Lupin led them straight across the entryway through an archway on the other side into a room he hadn't been in before.

Harry found himself in a large study. It reminded him a lot of the Gryffindor common room. There was a large fireplace with many comfortable looking armchairs positioned around it. Several of the walls were lined with bookshelves or covered in maps. There was a large desk on one side, a large leather chair behind it. "Your grandfather's study." Lupin said quietly, looking around. He laughed suddenly. "Oh the number of times your father and Sirius got called in here to answer for some mischief they'd caused." Harry felt a knot in his stomach tighten at the mention of Sirius and his father. Lupin put a hand on Harry's shoulder as he walked past, back to the entryway. Tonks followed closely behind, and Harry slowly followed.

As they walked up the staircase to the second floor Harry shook his head to clear the sorrow closing in again. Now wasn't the time to be weak. He determinedly walked up the staircase and caught up to Lupin and Tonks. At the top of the stairs was a long hallway. They'd come up into the middle of it, and it stretched for what looked like fifty feet in each direction. To Harry's left there were two doors on one side of the hall and double doors across from them. To his right was the same, symmetrical almost. Straight ahead of him was a pair of masterfully carved oak doors. It was these doors that Lupin was walking towards.

"I suppose this is a good place to start up here. Your ultimate grandfather was somewhat studious, an extraordinary thing in itself during a time where importance was decided by your skill in a duel, or the size of your Gringotts vault." He pushed open the doors. As the dust of fifteen years cleared, Harry could make out tall shelves in all directions. "Your great grandfather, however, believed that a wizard's worth was in his mind." He had walked across the room and now pulled open the faded curtains on the far wall. Harry had to shut his eyes to the sudden rush of sunlight, but a second later he opened them to the room around him. _This would be Hermione's dream_ he thought to himself. Indeed, he was standing in a library that looked roughly the size of the library at Hogwarts. The room was scattered with unmatching, but comfortable looking couches giving it a homey look. There were desks and tables too, for studying. Tonks opened another set of curtains allowing more light into the room. Harry noticed a large door to his right and another to his left.

"Where do those doors go?" He asked Lupin.

"The eastern door is to an armory, a museum almost." He chuckled. "Your ultimate grandfather wasn't quite completely above all the tournaments of his day, and he had a room built to show off his awards and weapons. The other door is to a room for studying potions and dueling." Harry nodded. This house was amazing to him. Each room had been designed by his family. He was walking around evidence that his family existed, that he had a family like any other. _Besides the fact that all my family is dead_. Harry followed Lupin back into the hallway. They were walking to a door to their right Harry noted, still feeling a bit turned around in the house. Lupin's hand seemed to be shaking a little as he reached for the door.

"This room was…" He tried again "This was your mother's room, Harry." Harry froze where he stood just inside the doorway and looked around. There were light green walls with small white lilies painted around the borders. On one side was a bed with a large green comforter, the other side of the room had a large cherry wood dresser next to another door. In the corner, next to the large window hung with white curtains was a small vanity-like table. There was a mirror hung above it, and the table was decorated with a few pictures. Harry picked one up and wiped off the dust. It was a picture of his mother and what could only be her parents. He cleaned off another, not noticing a tear forming in his eye. It was a picture of his parents, younger, still in school. They were smiling so happily, his father waved at him and hugged Lily tighter. He picked up the last picture. This one was of all the marauders. The four of them were obviously at Hogwarts in the photo; the castle rose behind them like a guardian. He found it strange to see them here, all happy and innocent. This was before Pettigrew's betrayal, before Sirius' time in jail, before Lupin had to face the full extent of the prejudice against him, before his father had to go into hiding to protect his son. He set the picture back down and turned to Lupin and Tonks. They were both still outside the door. Lupin looked very pale. Tonks was rubbing his back comfortingly. "The other door goes to her bathroom…" He choked. "She… she stayed here sometimes, before your parents were married, for a few weeks at a time or so." He turned around and slowly started walking down the hall. Harry walked after him, pausing a moment to softly close the door behind him.

"I'm sorry," Lupin was saying. "It's just… being back in this house…" He straightened his back and shook off Tonks' hand from his arm. He looked at Harry. "Your parents and I had some wonderful times here. This house is full of memories; I don't want you to think it's all sad. You saw how happy we all looked in the pictures. That's what this house is full of." He kept walking past the large staircase they'd come up, towards the other hallway. "These two doors are both bedrooms, there's a bathroom they share inside. Harry glanced into each room on the way past, but he didn't pause long. He was eager to see the rest of the house. There was a staircase leading up at the end of each hallway. Lupin and Tonks were ahead of him, already mounting the stairs.

At the top of the stairs Harry found himself looking down another long hallway. This one seemed a bit homier then the second floor had though. The walls here were decorated with family photos instead of the expensive paintings of the floor below. There were comfortable armchairs and thick rugs placed sporadically down the hall Lupin led him down now. They passed a door on their left Lupin shrugged off as another bathroom. They stopped outside two doors, one on the left and one straight across on the right. "This floor is mainly bedrooms. This one," he gestured to the right, "was Sirius' during his long stay here after he ran away from Grimmauld Place. This room," he pointed left, "was your father's." Harry looked at the two doors and opened the one to his left. His father's room was fairly large; he estimated his bedroom at the Dursley's could be fit in this room at least three times. The walls were blue, and there were pictures all over every flat surface. Besides having a bed and dresser, the bedroom had several large armchairs of all different sizes and a large black couch. Tonks was looking at all the pictures on the walls. "A lot of these pictures have you in them, Remus." She said. "Ohhh, but look at these. Pictures from old World Cups, and from school Quidditch tournaments it looks like." Harry and Lupin looked at the section of the wall that seemed to be dedicated to Quidditch. There were dozens of pictures of famous Quidditch players and even more of James flying at school. Lupin smiled. "Yeah, James loved his Quidditch." Harry stepped back from the pictures and started walking out of the room.

He was opening the door across the hall before he had really thought about what would be on the other side. As a result, he was completely unprepared for the room he was looking into next. On the wall directly opposite the door was a large picture of Sirius and his father. Around it were more pictures of Sirius with Lupin, and Lily and one with Pettigrew. There was even one of him with Harry's grandparents. "Sirius decorated the room to make it as different from Grimmauld place as he could." Lupin was saying. It was true. Harry could not have found a room more different then the dark house Sirius had been forced to grow up in. The windows were large, with red curtains; the comforter on the bed was bright Gryffindor red, and the walls were decorated with photos and paintings. The familiar knot was back in Harry's chest. His throat was dry as he looked around the room. Harry walked to the door; he had to get out of this room before he broke down again. He stepped out into the hallway and turned right, determinedly walking down the hallway to the other end, getting as far away from Sirius' room as he could.

There were three doors at this end of the hall. The one on the right stood open and Harry could see it was Lupin's room. He grabbed the doorknob of the door across from it, to his left, and opened the door. At first he was disoriented; it wasn't a bedroom as he'd expected. The room was filled with shelves and mismatched furniture. There were empty cauldrons and vials, charts lined one wall, and on the other… was a wall sized map of Hogwarts. "Harry!" Lupin yelled as he ran down the hall towards him. "You can't-" but his warning broke off as he saw that Harry already had the door open. Harry was looking at the plaque above one of the windows.

_THE MAURAUDERS_

_Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs_

Lupin let out a sheepish laugh. "This… was our plotting room during the summer holidays." Harry looked up at him.

"Why isn't Wormtail on the plaque? You wouldn't have known he was traitor when you were here." Harry asked as Tonks came into the room. Lupin's back stiffened.

"Peter never visited here. Sirius lived here after he ran away, and I visited around the moons during the summers, and Lily came around a few times that last summer, but Peter never came. We never really thought anything of it." He trailed off looking around. Tonks whistled as she came in, her eyes wide.

"That map… it shows all the people at Hogwarts!" She exclaimed. Harry looked back at the map. A purple dot on the map caught his eye. _Albus Dumbledore_ was written above it.

"It's just like the Marauder's map, only… huge." He said. Lupin smiled wickedly.

"This is how we planned a lot of our pranks. Look," he said, taking out his wand. "you can sketch on good locations for water bombing or for greasing the floor or for enchanting the suits of armor. That way we made sure not to neglect any part of the castle." They all laughed at that. "Well, I guess that's the end of this tour. You can look around more of course later, now you both know where everything is though. So… on to the cleaning I suppose." Tonks and Harry groaned.


End file.
